Wow, Bokke, wow!
● The Springboks were not overawed by the imposing All Blacks in front of a passionate capacity Wellington crowd. They were simply amazing.
They threw the form book out of the window to hand New Zealand their first defeat in the Rugby Championship since they were beaten 27-19 by Australia in 2015 with a spirited performance that coach Rassie Erasmus described as one of the best by SA.
Captain Siya Kolisi said this much-needed win is good for the mood of the country and it will massively boost their confidence as they continue with the project of building a competitive team for the World Cup in Japan next year.
The build-up was dominated by Erasmus’s comments that he may be fired if they lost to New Zealand by a big margin and Cosatu making accusations that black players in the team are treated “like second- class citizens”.
But, on a chilly Wellington night, the Boks produced a magnificent performance in a gripping encounter that was still not decided when the hooter sounded after the Boks had Willie le Roux sent to the bin in the closing stages.
The sight of rising star Aphiwe Dyantyi bamboozling the All Blacks defence to score two tries and tiny Cheslin Kolbe, who scored an intercept try, defending on the edge of the try line as New Zealand tried to steal the match at the death, showed how much they wanted to win this one.
The Boks were outscored six tries to five, but gave an outstanding all-round performance that will be spoken about in this part of the world and in SA, where millions saw the action on television, for a long time.
As he reflected on the match, Erasmus issued a word of caution to his players that one swallow does not make a summer and they were lucky with All Blacks flyhalf Beauden Barrett having missed four conversions.
“We are still sitting low on the rankings and we have a lot of catching up to do over the next few months. There is no way we must get ahead of ourselves; it is just one big win that was achieved with a lot of luck against the best team in the world. We will take it and enjoy it, but it will be stupid to get ahead of ourselves because we are still far away. We were lucky today and maybe New Zealand had an off day, but there is a lot of work to do from our side,” he said.
Kolisi said they were aware that New Zealand will come at them, but they backed each other and because they wanted to move away from the two losses against Argentina and Australia.
“It was about standing up and getting over the losses we had over the past few weeks. We backed each other and all the coach asked was for us to give a good performance. He came up with the plan and we bought into it. It is an awesome day for the team and for the people back home. This means a lot for South Africans and our planning for the World Cup,” said Kolisi.
This famous victory was ensured courtesy of tries by Willie le Roux, Malcolm Marx, Kolbe and two by Dyantyi with Handrè Pollard scoring 11 points from four conversions and one penalty as he showed marked improvements from Mendoza.
Even more importantly, the Boks have closed the gap on the All Blacks to six points in the Rugby Championship standings and they will have something to play for in the remaining matches against Australia in Port Elizabeth and New Zealand at Loftus in the coming weeks.
Springboks pull a rabbit from the hat in Wellington Test
● A columnist in New Zealand recently suggested we forego next year’s Rugby World Cup and immediately hand over the cup to the All Blacks.
His risible writing followed another humbling of the Wallabies and his countrymen seemed happy to go along for the ride.
The Springboks yesterday, however, again laid bare the vicissitudes of international sport with a stirring upset against New Zealand in Wellington. In doing so they also underlined how long a week can be in international rugby.
A week ago the Springboks were no hopers but now they are in contention to potentially snatch the Rugby Championship trophy from under the noses of the All Blacks. That, however, remains a long shot.
The result in Wellington arrived no moment too soon. The win would have opened the valve and released some of the pressure coach Rassie Erasmus has been feeling after consecutive away defeats against Argentina and Australia.
Had they suffered another defeat yesterday Erasmus’ win rate would have dropped to an unedifying 37.5%, which would have taken him firmly into the choppy waters frequented by his predecessor, Allister Coetzee.
He would no doubt have had to answer questions about his suitability for the job upon his return, but instead Erasmus and his team will return to SA today with wind beneath their wings.
They didn’t just achieve a bonus point win away against the All Blacks, they set a new points scoring mark against the world champions in New Zealand.
They also defended like demons, which would have imbued local rugby supporters with belief for the remainder of the campaign.
The Boks have home Tests against the Wallabies in Port Elizabeth, Saturday week, and a week later they will have a much anticipated return clash against the All Blacks in Pretoria.
Expectation, however, should be tempered for the two remaining home Tests as Erasmus has been fastidious in his belief that game time be spread around his squad.
The coach, who has been mixing and matching with his selections thus far, selected a side that closely resembles his best 23 for the Wellington clash.
He may yield to the temptation to ride the wave he is on in the next two Tests, especially when you consider the end-of-year tour will provide him with more opportunity to widen his net.
Moreover, poor home performances will undo the feel-good factor that swept the fans of the Green and Gold yesterday. A strong finish in the Rugby Championship, if not potentially winning it, would be a remarkable achievement given the selection policy he has embarked upon.
If Erasmus insists on being adventurous with his selections he is more likely to be against the Wallabies.
He certainly cannot afford to give the All Blacks an inch at Loftus, where the tourists have been unbeaten since 1970. The Boks have lost all four Tests there against the All Blacks since readmission, conceding an average of 41 points.
As thoroughly exhilarating as yesterday’s win in Wellington was, there will now be the expectation for the Boks to consistently meet that standard. Now at least, Erasmus knows who in his squad is capable of that.